Guideline 4.1 Ensure full keyboard access

Previous Proposal

Public Working Draft of the Complete Guidelines

NAVIGATING:

1. Sequential keyboard commands (tab, arrow, etc.) can be used to navigate between every UI operable control and interactive element in the rendered content. Level A
   NOTE: These follow conventions, see 1.1
2. Caret browse and select can be used to navigate between characters in rendered text content (incremental - character, word, line, element, all). Level A
3. No keyboard trap. The user agent provides at least one hot key to restore keyboard focus to a known location. Level A
4. Any embedded object or user agent that receives focus MUST release focus. Compound documents needs graceful handoff/retrieval of key processing by all user agents. Level AA

OPERATING/ACTIVATING:

5. Once focused, all UI operable controls and [recognized interactive elements in the rendered content] are keyboard operable. Level A.
6. Allow configuration to prompt the user to confirm (or cancel) any form submission. Level AA [Remove from keyboard as it is already in 5.2]
7. Direct keyboard commands can be used to activate the following important functions (list) Level A
   1. move content focus to the next/previous enabled element in document order
   2. activate the link designated by the content focus
   3. open search function, search again
   4. increase/decrease the scale of rendered text
   5. increase/decrease global volume
   6. stop/pause/resume and navigate efficiently audio and animations,including video and animated images
   7. next/previous history state (i.e., forward/back)
   8. enter a URI for a new resource
   9. add a URI to favorites (i.e., bookmarked resources)
   10. view favorites
   11. reload a resource
   12. interrupt a request to load or reload a resource
   13. navigate forward and backward through rendered content by approximately the height of the viewport
   14. (n) for user agents that render content in lines of (at least) text: move the point of regard to the next and previous line

DISCOVERING KEYBOARD COMMANDS:

8. List(s) of keyboard commands are available centrally and prominently in documentation (help system) Level A
9. Any currently visible UI operable controls that have direct UI keyboard commands (that activate or move focus), have their keyboard commands visually displayed in context (next to menu item, underline character) Level A
10. User configuration has an option to display keyboard shortcuts for all visible controls. Level ? [New. This needs more work]
11. Any currently available UI direct keyboard commands (that activate or move focus) are available programmatically. Level A
12. Any currently visible CONTENT interactive controls have direct UI keyboard commands (accesskey or variation), have their keyboard commands visually displayed in context (next to item, overlay) or in a list. Level A
13. Any currently available CONTENT direct keyboard commands (accesskey or variation) are available programmatically Level A

KEYBOARD OPTIONS:

13. User override of all UI and recognized content keyboard controls with session persistence Level AA
14. User has at least this option for keyboard processing order (UI, extensions, recognized content (Access key, AT), unrecognized content) Level A
15. User has the ability to save, import and export sets of user-customized keyboard commands. Level AAA [Remove from Keyboard and already in 5.2]

Link to IRC meeting notes